


Home Safe

by WanderingAlice



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: M/M, Protective!Avengers, Protective!Steve, Reunion, Slash- if you squint, request fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-22
Updated: 2015-02-22
Packaged: 2018-03-14 14:06:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3413480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WanderingAlice/pseuds/WanderingAlice
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve follows his fellow Avengers around to bars at night, to make sure they get home safe. They notice. Eventually, they notice someone following <i>him</i>, so they decide to do something about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Home Safe

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheDisreputableDog](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDisreputableDog/gifts).



> TheDisreputableDog asked: "Could I ask for some Troll/Punk Steve. Maybe it’s away for him to relieve some of his depression. By doing stuff the rest of the Avengers wouldn’t expect? like going around to bars, but he’s really making sure people get home safe. Or maybe his favorite club is one for crossdressers, but their really protective of their sad Stevie?"
> 
> This is what came out of that.... It's not exactly what you asked for, but I hope you like it. I've been battling writer's block for two weeks now, and it's killing me. But this finally fell together, at least. 
> 
> The slash is only really there if you squint, sorry. I'll be writing plenty of slashier things soon, but this just sort of... came out this way. Thank you all for reading! Please let me know what you think!
> 
> (And if you want, you can now find me on tumblr- [WanderingAliceWrites](wanderingalicewrites.tumblr.com).)

It started sometime after the Avengers officially became a team. Tony didn’t know when, he hadn’t been paying attention really. But one night, when he was departing a bar with Pepper on his arm, he noticed a black shape detaching itself from the shadows and follow them. He tensed, and Pepper looked up at him.

“Something wrong?”

Tony looked back again, and the shape was nowhere to be found. “I… no. Nothing. I just thought I saw something.”

“Hmm,” Pepper laughed at him. “I’d say someone had too much to drink.”

“Nonsense, there’s no such thing as ‘too much to drink’,” Tony informed her, and she laughed all the more. God he loved that laugh. He needed to make her laugh like that more often. Hmm… well, when they got home there was the thing, and the other thing, and, oooh, now, that was a good idea! Thus distracted, he didn’t notice the shape that continued to follow them all the way to the doors of Avengers Tower.

 

Natasha was more observant than Tony. She noticed the man in the shadows the first night he started following her, and, unlike Tony, she recognized the figure. So she let him be. Whatever he was doing, well, it wasn’t really any of her business. She was out drinking to make the screams in her head stop, and Clint was with her, probably for the same reason. He was a good drinking buddy, unlike some she could name, and together they got pleasantly plastered about once a week. Every week their silent companion followed them from the doors of the tower, out to whichever bars they chose, and back. He never approached, and she never mentioned it when they sat next to each other on the plane to whatever the next mission was. She wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but to be perfectly honest his silent presence made her feel a little safer. It gave her the freedom to truly drown out the voices in her head, because she knew, however drunk she got, there was somebody watching over her.

 

Clint noticed him too, his sharp eyes picking out the familiar shape standing just out of the light. When he mentioned it to Nat, she said he’d been following them for some weeks, and Clint felt like an idiot for not noticing sooner. He started over to ask him what the hell he was doing when Nat put a hand on his arm.

“Let him be,” she told him. “It’s something he needs to do.”

Reluctantly, Clint had nodded, and that had been that. But now that he knew he was being followed, he looked for their silent companion. It seemed that whenever he went out to drink, with or without Natasha, he was there. It was a little creepy to be honest, but Nat said it made him feel better about... something, so, well, alright. Clint certainly wasn’t going to stop him from doing something that might wipe that sad kicked-puppy look off his face. Natasha confided that he followed her when she went out alone as well, and they decided he was probably following the whole team. Or well, all of the team that went out drinking, anyway. Bruce probably didn’t need a tail, he never touched alcohol, too worried it would bring out his ‘Other Guy’.

 

Clint was wrong, Bruce was also being followed by their quiet protector. On the nights he went out to tea-houses or nice restaurants he would have loved to take Betty to, he had company. But, unlike the others, he knew exactly when Steve had started following him- because he always invited him to share his tea, or dinner, or whatever. And Steve would smile that shy, pleased and surprised smile, and sit down across from him. He was good company, which was what Bruce needed more than a bodyguard. It wasn’t dark shadows or attacks in the night he feared, no- the Other Guy would keep him safe from that. No, what he needed protection from was the dark edges of his own mind, and the biting sting of loneliness. Steve helped with that, and Bruce liked to think that maybe he helped Steve as well. The poor man was in pain, that much was easy to see. He never talked about it, but Bruce could tell. So he did his best to distract Steve with these dinners, or tea breaks, or whatever. He hoped it was working.

 

Thor didn’t go out much when he was in New York. He’d rather spend his time with his Jane. But sometimes, when they did go out at night, Thor could sense a familiar presence following them. He didn’t understand why their captain didn’t just ask to come with them, and asked Jane about it. She laughed, and said he was probably watching out for them. Thor had been slightly offended that the captain thought he couldn’t protect himself and his woman, but Jane had explained. It wasn’t that he thought Thor couldn’t protect them, no, it was more that he needed to see them safe. She confided that she thought she and Darcy got the same treatment when Thor wasn’t around, but she’d never actually seen him following. It was more of a feeling she and Darcy had, that they were watched over. It comforted Thor somewhat, to know his Jane was safe, even when he wasn’t around. So the next time he was out with the whole team, he made sure to buy the captain a drink. It was poor thanks, but it was a start.

 

When Steve moved to DC, he didn’t stop following people. No, but he transferred his protective instincts over to Sam and a few of the younger agents. He worried about his friends in New York, when he knew they were out at night without him watching over them, but there wasn’t much he could do- his job was in DC now. So he followed Sam and the other agents. He never got caught, but he didn’t flatter himself that it was because his skills had improved- his friends were just exceptional. Sam went out a lot, and sometimes he invited Steve with him. These times, Steve sat next to him at the bar, ordered a drink that didn’t do anything for him, and just talked. It was a lot like those dinners with Bruce, and it helped almost as much. Sam was a good guy, and Steve liked him a lot. Not the way he had loved Bucky, but the same way he liked Tony and the rest of the Avengers. It was nice, having friends. But he didn’t stop needing to follow the people he cared about, to make sure they made it home safe at night. He knew the streets were dangerous after dark, and, well. He couldn’t take it if he lost even a single member of his new family. He just couldn’t. It would break him all over again, and he didn’t know if he could come back from that. Opening his heart had been dangerous and stupid, but it had happened before he’d even realized it, and suddenly there were these _people_ in there. And he was terrified he would lose them. Like he had lost Bucky.

 

After the whole Winter Soldier thing, Steve moved back to New York. In between missions, and searching for his lost friend, he still followed the Avengers around at night. Sam was included in that number now, a full-fledged member of the Avengers. It had been the only way to really protect him from the theft of the wings, and to Steve’s surprise the others had welcomed him gladly. He fit in well, not that Steve had ever had any worries in that department. He went out with Tony, and Clint and Natasha, and sometimes even with Thor and Jane. He even accompanied Steve and Bruce sometimes. And when he didn’t, when he went out on his own, Steve watched over him. He was their silent protector, the comforting figure they could find in the shadows as they walked back to the tower, keeping them safe from whatever dangers the city held for them.

 

What Steve didn’t know was that his friends watched over him, too. They met together sometimes, up on the roof of the tower, to talk about how they could help Steve. They’d become accustomed to his presence, had felt protected by him for a long time now, and they wanted to give something back to him in return. He hadn’t been the same, since he’d found the truth about the Winter Soldier. And while they all did their best to help him find his old friend, it didn’t seem to be enough. Steve had lost whatever happiness he’d managed to regain. Though he had rarely smiled before, now it was a sight as rare as the the vibranium that made his shield. Much more often, his brow was creased in a frown, and there was sorrow in his eyes. He blamed himself for James Barnes’ situation, and it was tearing him apart inside.

At Pepper's suggestion, they started inviting him out more as part of the group, trying to bring life back to those sad eyes. Natasha kept trying to set him up on dates. Tony tried to find the right combination of liquor that would get him drunk. Bruce and Sam each spoke quietly to him, trying to get him to open up about his pain. Clint challenged him to contests of marksmanship or skill, trying to exhaust him so he could sleep at night- they’d all heard his nightmares. Thor distracted him with tales from Asgard, the deeds of his mighty companions or the tricks of his brother. Pepper and Jane banded together with Darcy to draw him out of the shell into which he withdrew more every day. It was often loud in the tower now, full of life, and everyone tried their hardest to keep Steve a part of it.

Steve still followed them around at night, though. He hid in the shadows, but they all knew where to look now. He didn’t seem to know that they knew, but kept up his routine, slinking from shadow to shadow, watching them from the moment they left the tower to the minute they returned. But now they watched him, too. They looked for him in the shadows, and worried if they couldn’t find him there. It wasn’t long before they all started to see the _other_ shadow, the one that tailed Steve. It was there every night, like clockwork. Whoever it was stayed behind Steve, out of sight, just watching. They didn’t like it. So one night, instead of letting him follow one or the other of them around to the bars, they invited him out as a group- just the Avengers. Tony called it a "team building night." Then, once Bruce and Clint got him engaged in conversation, the rest quietly slipped out of the bar. They found Steve’s shadow in an alleyway just across from the main door to the place, staring intently through the windows. Steve was just in view, laughing at something Clint had said. Natasha crept close enough to see the sad, wistful look in the stranger’s eyes before she hit him over the head with a brick. He didn’t go down, but turned, already drawing a knife from somewhere and coming at her. Then Tony barreled into him at full speed, the knife clanging off the metal of the Iron Man suit. Sam swooped down and Tony passed him the man. Together, they flew up to perch on the roof of the neighboring building, the enemy hanging over the edge. Thor was there waiting, hammer leveled at his head.

Everyone tensed, waiting for the next attack, but the enemy just hung limply in Sam’s hands. He looked at them with dark blue eyes and a slight grin, and Natasha, arriving courtesy of Tony, gasped with recognition. Sure he was cleaned up, hair cut short, metal arm covered by the long sleeves of his shirt, but it was him. The Winter Soldier. James “Bucky” Barnes.

“You guys must be the Avengers,” he said mildly, as if he were not hanging several hundred feet in the air.

“Damn straight we are,” Tony told him. “Who’re you, and why are you following Steve?”

“I…” the man looked away from them. “I was his friend.”

“His friend?” Sam asked. “Then why not just come out and say ‘hi’? Why all this following him in the dark?”

“I… I’m not sure he wants me around,” the soldier admitted. “But I needed to be sure he was safe.”

“Why don’t I believe that?” Tony asked the rest of them. “Let’s see… oh, yeah, because Cap’s like the most forgiving person, _ever_. I don’t think the man’s capable of holding grudges.”

“Captain Steven would likely forgive any wrong done him by a friend,” Thor added. “Something a close companion would have known.”

“I think this is a bit bigger than that,” Natasha stepped in, putting a hand on Sam’s shoulders to draw him back onto the roof. “Isn’t it, Sergeant Barnes?”

The other’s reactions were immediate. Sam threw the man onto the roof, where Tony pinned him to the ground with one iron-plated fist and sat on top of him. “If you’re here to kill him,” he growled, “you have another thing coming.”

James Barnes stayed limp under Tony’s grip, looking for all the world like he had expected that reaction. “I’m not. I don’t expect you to believe me, but I could never hurt Steve.”

“Sure, and that bullet hole in his gut was from some other guy,” Sam said, staring down at the sergeant with dislike.

“Actually, yes,” Barnes told him. “Though, again, I don’t expect you to believe it. Look, I’m not fighting you. I _won’t_ fight you. I just needed to see Steve, to make sure he was alright. Now you can do whatever you want with me. Lock me up, give me to the government- whichever government. I’m wanted by a few, y’know.”

Natasha came to stand next to him, looking down at his face in consideration. Was he cured of the brainwashing? It had been nearly a year now, but the doctors had estimated it would take _years_ for him to come back to himself- if he could at all. But all she saw in those blue eyes was honest regret- something the Winter Soldier had been incapable of.

“He’s telling the truth.”

“What?” Tony gaped at her, and even Sam and Thor looked at her with wide eyes. Barnes’ eyes flicked to her, then back to Tony, who, after all, had a fist over his windpipe.

“He’s telling the truth,” Natasha repeated. “Trust me. I know what I’m talking about.”

“Thanks, doll, but I don’t think these guys are going to take your word on it, _or_ mine,” Barnes said. Natasha sent him a disgusted look.

“Don’t call me ‘doll’. And they _will_ take my word for it. Because I’ve been through something similar. I know what Hydra brainwashing looks like, and this? This isn’t it.”

Tony, Sam, and Thor traded looks, clearly unconvinced.

“No, look, if he was going to hurt Steve, he could have done it already. We noticed him tailing us, what, two nights ago?” She turned to the man on the ground. “How long were you following us before we noticed you?”

“Only a couple days. You guys are really hard to avoid. Especially you and your buddy with the arrows.”

“See?” Natasha hadn’t ever thought she’d be in the position of arguing in favor of letting the Winter Soldier in to see Steve, but here she was. “If he was here to kill Steve, he could have done it days ago.”

“It could be a trick,” Thor suggested. “This man attempts to gain our confidence before turning on us once inside the tower.”

“No…” Sam was staring at Barnes thoughtfully. “I don’t think so. He… when we fought him as the soldier, he looked… different. This isn’t the same man. It’s like a different person wearing his face.”

“Actually, _he_ was wearing _mine_ ,” Barnes said. “I… look. I’m not proud of what I did, but I was under Hydra control. I wasn’t myself. I am now. And I promise you, Steve has nothing to fear from me. And, uh,” he turned his eyes to Sam, “sorry about your wings.”

“It’s okay,” Sam said automatically. “No harm done. Stark gave me a better pair.”

Barnes blinked at him, as surprised by that response as Sam himself.

“Really,” Sam said, after he took a second to process what he’d said. “Steve told me a lot about you, I know you weren’t yourself.”

“I, ah… thanks.” Barnes didn’t seem to know what to do with that. Thor relaxed, letting his hammer down to hang by his side, seemingly convinced by Sam’s acceptance that Barnes was alright. Only Tony remained tense, still kneeling on Barnes’ chest.

“How do we know you won’t just snap back into the brainwashing?” Tony demanded. “If you’re really you now, what’s to say you’ll stay that way?”

“Simple,” Barnes told him. “You don’t. But I swear on my mother’s grave, I wouldn’t allow myself to be anywhere _near_ Steve if there was a chance of that. He’s too important for me to risk.”

Tony sat back then, easing up the pressure on Barnes and letting him up. “Fine. If you say he’s really not brainwashed,” he looked at Natasha and Sam, “Then I guess I can believe it. But listen here, Frosty, if you so much as _think_ about hurting Steve, it won’t be any government or prison you’ll be dealing with. It’ll be us. And we don’t take kindly to anyone hurting our Steve.”

Barnes sat up and blinked at Tony, a bemused smile on his lips. Then he nodded. “Good. That’s what I need to hear.”

 

They took Barnes down from the building then, and Natasha and Tony stood with him while Thor and Sam went into the bar. They watched through the windows as they approached Steve, and Sam put a hand on Steve’s shoulder. Steve’s eyes widened, flicked towards the window, and then he was up out of his seat, running out the door. Outside, he stood on the sidewalk, staring at Barnes. He didn’t even seem to see Natasha or Tony, standing to either side of the former assassin. And Barnes, well, the minute he saw Steve, Natasha watched a smile light up his face. It changed his whole countenance, making him stunningly handsome where before he had just been an ordinary kind of good-looking. Neither man looked like they could quite believe this was happening. Then Steve took a shaking step forward.

“Bucky…?”

“Hey, Punk,” Barnes moved as if to reach out, and then thought better of it.

“Jerk.” Steve closed the distance between them in two long strides. Then he pulled Barnes into a tight hug. “Don’t you scare me like that. I… I thought…”

“I know,” Barnes was holding him in an embrace every inch as tight as Steve’s. “I know. I’m sorry.”

Natasha and the others faded back out of earshot, letting them have their privacy while remaining vigilant- just in case. If there were tears in Steve’s eyes, well that could easily be blamed on a trick of the light.

 

Steve didn’t stop following them out to bars after Bucky’s return. No, but he didn’t keep to the shadows anymore either. Now he went out openly, Bucky at his side, and they joined the other Avengers for nights on the town. And when the night was over, the sun beginning to rise, well, then they all walked home together, as a team, no, as a _family_.


End file.
